Digital Marketing Best Practices Guide

DIGITAL
MARKETING
BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
Best Practices, Insights, & Vendor Analysis

Table of Contents
1 3
2 6
3 11
Executive Summary
What is Digital Marketing?
Digital Marketing & The MMO
Digital Marketing Landscape
Digital Marketing Roles Matrix
Digital Marketing Maturity Model
Analyst Bottom Line
DIGITAL MARKETING
Best Practices Guide
184
6 35
377
408
41Action Plan
51About Demand Metric

3DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
It has been said that “All Marketing is Digital Marketing,” and with good
reason! In the last decade (or less), the marketing environment has been
transformed.
Marketing has moved from an environment in which traditional marketing,
brick and mortar storefronts, and Digital Marketing options all competed for
thetime,attention,andresourcesofthemarketingdepartmenttooneinwhich
Digital Marketing reigns supreme – with an occasional nod in the direction of
the storefront, or traditional marketing (direct mail, print advertising, etc.).
One of the biggest challenges of Digital Marketing is the speed at which it
has taken over the marketing organization, often in an ad hoc, uncoordi-
nated fashion.
Demand Metric’s research has consistently shown that Digital Marketing has
a very significant and positive impact on the organizations that are employing
it when they do so by following best practices and processes in a coordi-
nated, holistic approach.
In this Best Practices Report on Digital Marketing we will cover the Digital
Marketing landscape in six distinct categories.
Executive Summary
This report covers:
Social Media Marketing
Mobile Marketing
Video Marketing
Content Marketing
Action Plan
Public Relations

4DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
We present four models to enable Modern Marketers to take a holistic approach to Digital Marketing. These four models are:
The Modern Marketing Department Structure, which
offers a look at the key functions needed to fully address
Digital Marketing initiatives across the organization.
The Marketing Organization Maturity Model, which
shows the progression and pathway a marketing depart-
ment should take to mature from a Cost Center to a World
Class Organization, responsible for, and measured on,
driving sales and revenue.
The Digital Marketing Maturity Model, which shows the
pathway an organization should take to mature in its use
of Digital Marketing from Ad Hoc to World Class.
The Digital Marketing Roles Matrix, which highlights the
roles, responsibilities, processes, technology, content,
and metrics for effective Digital Marketing strategies.
Orientation
STAGE 1 - Undefined
STAGE 2 - Progressive
STAGE 3 - Mature
STAGE 4 - World-Class
Tools &
Platforms
No defined strategy or process for
Digital Marketing or digital properties
Ad hoc development; Point tools
for Email, Content and Social Media
Marketing; No mobile or video apps
Platforms that perform specific func-
tions with coordinated tools, applica-
tions and workflows
Platforms connected to each other i.e.
Web Content Management to Content
Marketing to Social Listening API
integration to Enterprise CRM and MA
systems
Utilizes comprehensive, end-to-end
system integration of all Digital
Marketing related platforms with tight
integration to Enterprise CRM, MA and
other legacy ERP systems
Defined strategy and processes exist
for Digital Marketing in pockets in the
organization
Defined, integrated strategy and
processes exist for Digital Marketing
across an Enterprise
Defined, integrated strategy for Digital
Marketing exists across an Enterprise;
Campaigns are tracked and measured
by effectiveness of engagement and
conversion
Leadership Does not see difference between
Digital and Traditional Marketing
Views digital as new marketing
channel; Allocates budget & staff
resources
Recognizes that Digital Marketing is omni-
channel and the key component in audi-
ence engagement to drive preference &
loyalty; Long term commitment; Willing
participant; Resources for growth
Views Digital Marketing as key
component in customer engage-
ment strategy and primary focus
for marketing team; Organization
aligned and measured around
Digital Marketing’s contribution to
revenue
Digital
Marketing
DIGITAL MARKETING
Maturity Model
LEVEL 1 - Cost Center
LEVEL 2 - Revenue Neutral
LEVEL 3 - Revenue Contributor
LEVEL 4 - Profit Center
World Class
Marketing
Organization
Leadership
Staffing
Budget
Orientation
Marketing plan aligned with and
drives business planning
CMO, VPs, Directors, Managers
and Program Managers
CMO compensation tied
to revenue & marketing
performance
Budgeting is connected to
revenue growth targets
Very reactive, operational, not
strategic, no plan
No senior leadership in
Marketing, possibly a Manager
Informal roles & responsibilities,
no job description
No budget exists, spending is
Ad Hoc
Still reactive, some campaign plan-
ning, no strategic plan
Director of Marketing, with
Project or Program Managers
Basic job descriptions in place
but rarely updated
A small budget exists for items
such as trade shows, etc.
Working from a strategic marketing
plan and campaign plans
VP, Director of Marketing,
Program Managers
Job descriptions & performance
reviews done regularly
A budget exists and business
cases are created to justify
spend
WORLD CLASS
MARKETING ORGANIZATION
Maturity Model
V I E W R E S O U R C E

5DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDE
Our goal is to enable the Modern Marketing Organization (MMO) to create
a holistic, end-to-end, enterprise-level approach to Digital Marketing.
Here are some of the highlights:
The depth and breadth of Digital Marketing has created a compelling
need within the MMO to gain control of it.
Digital Marketing has evolved in four stages, externally and internally.
Externally, we have seen the customer experience mature from mass
display and broadcast to highly personalized real-time experiences.
Internally, we have seen technologies mature from ad hoc point solu-
tions to fully integrated, end-to-end systems connected across the
Enterprise, at every touchpoint and delivery channel.
Our Solutions section covers the Digital Marketing systems, vendors, and
applications from the five Digital Marketing functions: Content Marketing,
Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing, Video Marketing, and Public
Relations.
Each of these categories is covered in more detail in our Digital Marketing
Solution Study Series.
Additionally, Digital Marketing teams need to evaluate and integrate their
approach to websites, landing pages and microsites, online advertising and
SEO, creative design services, and virtual events.
These will be covered in detail in our Customer Experience Virtual Summit.
Demand Metric’s key recommendation from this report is
that Digital Marketing can make a significant and positive
impact on organizations that are employing it, when they
do so by following best practices and processes holistically
integrated across the five key categories listed above.
We offer this Best Practices Report to enable your organization
to make your Digital Marketing function the best that it can be.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

6DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEWHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING?
Digital Marketing is, at its most basic, the use of electronic means to present
a company, product, and services to customers, prospective buyers, and the
marketplace.
The term Digital Marketing is so broad that it has almost lost all contextual
meaning. The purpose of this report is to put a solid framework around
Digital Marketing so that Modern Marketing Organizations can measure
their progress and success in achieving their Digital Marketing goals.
Broadly, Digital Marketing includes the creation and distribution of marketing
through software, the Internet, and Social Media. It also covers the produc-
tion of documents by electronic means such as digital printing. Since virtu-
ally all documents today are designed in software such as Adobe Photoshop
or InDesign and printed on digital printers, it is easy to see why we say all
marketing is Digital Marketing.
What is Digital Marketing?
Demand Metric defines Digital Marketing as:
The strategies, processes, tools, and
technologies that support the development,
deployment, management, and measurement
of digital elements used for marketing and
advertising.
Bottom-line
Digital Marketing drives revenue by creating a unique and
memorable digital experience for the customer or prospect.

Marketing’s focus on Digital Marketing continues to grow as more orga-
nizations learn how to use digital resources for website traffic, demand
generation, content marketing, online advertising, and mobile/video
marketing development.
The most sophisticated marketers realize that the value of Digital
Marketing is not just for lead generation and nurturing, advertising, and
content marketing.
The true power rests in creating digital experiences that can drive brand
equity, create lasting relationships, and directly impact sales, revenues,
and profits.
Demand Metric’s Digital Marketing Landscape Benchmark Report exam-
inedthemajorfactorsdrivingDigitalExperiencesincludingbudgets,creation
priorities, platforms, sophistication of digital experiences, approaches, and
measurements.
Driving Forces
None
16 to 30%
46 to 60%
61 to 85%
More than 85%
31 to 45%
Don’t know
1 to 15%
4%
18%
8%
10%
14%
12%
6%
28%
FIGURE 1: PERCENTAGE OF MARKETING BUDGET
ALLOCATED TO DIGITAL
WHAT IS DIGITAL MARKETING?
DIGITAL
MARKETING
LANDSCAPE
Benchmark Report

58% of study participants are allocating less than half of their budgets
to digital marketing, which leaves room for growth. Yet, marketers have
long understood that the digital marketing dollar goes farther than the
traditional marketing dollar, so the budget for digital initiatives don’t
directly indicate their impact (Figure 1).
59% of study participants rated the creation of digital experiences
either “high” or “very high” as a marketing priority (Figure 2).
A relationship exists between placing a high priority on digital expe-
rience marketing and revenue growth. 76% of study participants that
reported revenue growth in the most recent fiscal year also put a high
priority on digital experience creation. For organizations that reported
declining revenue growth, only 6% reported that digital experience
creation was a high priority.
The more sophisticated or advanced the digital experience, the more
magnified the effect is on brand perception: 91% of study participants
that are deploying sophisticated digital experiences report that these
efforts have a favorable influence on brand perception. At the basic level
of sophistication, only 50% of participants report this favorable impact.
For organizations in which sophistication is advanced in the creation
of digital experiences, 83% are also experiencing revenue growth.
Just 6% and 11% of organizations, respectively, that are also deploying
advanced or more sophisticated digital experiences are in flat or
declining revenue growth situations.
Here are some conclusions from the report:
FIGURE 2: DIGITAL EXPERIENCE CREATION PRIORITY
Very low
High
Moderate
Low
Very high
3%
35%
30%
8%
24%

The benefits of effective Digital Marketing span across the MMO, touching
several roles and departments, including Senior Management, Strategic
Communications, Demand Generation, Content Marketing, Community, Social
Media, Public Relations, Product Marketing, and Customer Experience.
Creates the best digital experience to drive engagement.
Creates an ongoing, real-time relationship with customers and
prospects.
Drives brand perception across all channels and touch points.
Provides targeted, personalized, localized content at the right audi-
ence at the right time.
Increases conversion rates across all media channels.
Provides a consistent customer experience by providing content for
a specific buyer persona at a targeted stage in the buyer’s journey.
Increases website and blog traffic and SEO.
Collects more relevant and accurate customer data across multiple
touch points.
1
2
3
Provides a native mobile customer experience, not one re-designed
from web.
Gets an integrated view of the customer’s total experience that is
not fragmented by the device and software they are using.
Stays connected to the customer as they move from PC to phone to
tablet and back.
Provides better customer service by handling problems and
complaints quickly and personally using social listening.
Gains product knowledge for future products and services by
learning what customers are asking for on social networks.
Learns who has the influence and clout in various social communi-
ties and develops deeper relationships with them.
Uses video to provide collateral for social marketing, enhance
content initiatives, and produce more realistic customer experiences.
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Benefits of Digital Marketing
Here are some of the top benefits we have observed in a comprehensive
look at Digital Marketing. More benefits, directly related to each category,
are found in the respective solution studies.

Despite the benefits being achieved by those doing Digital Marketing
well, some marketing organizations continue to struggle with the transi-
tion from traditional to Digital Marketing.
Not surprisingly, the two key barriers to embracing Digital Marketing
are education and resources.
Marketing organizations already stretched for time and money are reluc-
tant to take on more responsibility or embrace change. Much of this is
driven by Senior Management leadership.
Barriers to Digital Marketing
Senior Management that discounts or views Digital
Marketing as just another channel option do not expend
the resources to create engaging digital experiences, while
those that see digital as the primary marketing channel see
significant revenue gains.

Digital Marketing & The MMO
The wide variety of Digital Marketing opportunities has created a compel-
ling need within the MMO to gain control of Digital Marketing.
In most companies, Digital Marketing has grown organically with many
independent initiatives cropping up to address one marketing need after
another.
Unlike the days of yore when all computers and systems were under the
control of IT departments, Digital Marketing’s budgets, tools, and technol-
ogies are spread across the organization and “in the cloud.”
The challenge with that approach is that the success rate of Digital
Marketing initiatives are limited when they do not include enterprise
data integration with existing CRM, SFA, and Marketing Automation
systems.
To address that challenge for the MMO, this report, combined with our
Solution Study Series, examine the primary platforms for five digital func-
tions – Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile Marketing,
Video Marketing, and Public Relations.
Overview
DIGITAL MARKETING & THE MMO
Our Digital Marketing Solution Studies can be best described as follows:
Our Content Marketing Solution Study looks at the
range of content platforms.
We examine the landscape, vendors and solutions for the
three foundation platforms – Web Content Management
(WCM), Content Marketing (CMS), and Content Distribu-
tion (CDS).
These platforms and toolsets provide the structure that
content marketers need to create relevant and personal-
ized content for each of their individual audiences.
CONTENT
MARKETING
Solution Study

Our Social Media Marketing Solution Study examines
Social Media strategies and processes on four key plat-
forms – Social Listening, Social Engagement, Social Expe-
rience, Social Analytics, and the major Social Networks.
Our Public Relations Solution Study provides insights
and analysis to help marketers understand the solutions
available to help the modern PR practitioner.
Our Video Marketing Solution Study examines the land-
scape, vendors, and solutions for video development,
production, and marketing.
We evaluate the primary video hosting and sharing plat-
forms that enable marketers to provide information,
education, advice, and/or entertainment to their target
audiences.
Our Mobile Marketing Solution Study is designed to
provide a solid understanding of the current Mobile
Marketing environment.
We examine the landscape, vendors, and solutions for
two categories of Mobile Marketing – Mobile Application
Development (MADP) and Mobile Content Development &
Management (MCDP) – to enable marketers to incorporate
mobile within their broader Digital Marketing Strategy.
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Solution Study
VIDEO
MARKETING
Solution Study
MOBILE
MARKETING
Solution Study
SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING
Solution Study

13DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEDIGITAL MARKETING & THE MMO
As the organization progresses in maturity through Level 2 (Neutral) and
Level 3 (Contributor), it is able to provide evidence for its increasing revenue
contribution through metrics that justify marketing spend and staff resources.
At Level 4 (Profit Center) the organization has strong executive manage-
ment support. It is led by an executive able to to fully staff and resource
the organization for success.
Metrics such as Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Brand Equity measure-
ments, and Customer Cost to Acquire provide quantitative support for
marketing’s role.
Not surprisingly, our studies show that more mature organizations, which
also have a more coordinated approach to Digital Marketing, reap the
benefits.
As noted in our Digital Marketing Landscape Benchmark Study, 59% of the
participants rated the creation of digital experience high or very high.
Equally important, 76% of the study participants reporting revenue growth in
the most recent fiscal year put a high priority on digital experience creation.
The Modern Marketing Organization
Demand Metric defines the Modern Marketing Organization (MMO) as
driving the revenue of the company through the acquisition, engagement,
development, and maintenance of long-term, cost effective relationships
with customers.
In brief, the MMO has responsibility for sustained revenue generation,
Sales Enablement, and authority over all of the processes, technologies,
tools, and talent that support the “customer universe.” That new
responsibility for revenue generation is a key driver for Digital Marketing
to create better digital experiences which will result in better leads, more
sales opportunities, and sustainable customer relationships.
As Demand Metric’s World Class Marketing Organization Maturity Model
shows (next page), the more mature the organization, the more it contributes
to the overall revenue picture. Demand Metric’s World Class Marketing
Organization Maturity Model examines seven marketing components across
four stages, illustrating common or best practices at each stage.
At Level 1, the marketing organization is viewed as a Cost Center, primarily
responsible for sales support with few resources and no way to effectively
show its contribution to revenue.
For a more detailed look at the MMO, please download our
How-To Guide: The Modern Marketing Organization. V I E W R E S O U R C E

LEVEL 1 - Cost Center
LEVEL 2 - Revenue Neutral
LEVEL 3 - Revenue Contributor
LEVEL 4 - Profit Center
World Class
Marketing
Organization
Leadership
Staffing
Budget
Orientation
Marketing plan aligned with and
drives business planning
CMO, VPs, Directors, Managers
and Program Managers
CMO compensation tied
to revenue & marketing
performance
Budgeting is connected to
revenue growth targets
Very reactive, operational, not
strategic, no plan
No senior leadership in
Marketing, possibly a Manager
Informal roles & responsibilities,
no job descriptions
No budget exists, spending is
Ad Hoc
Still reactive, some campaign plan-
ning, no strategic plan
Director of Marketing, with
Project or Program Managers
Basic job descriptions in place
but rarely updated
A small budget exists for items
such as trade shows, etc.
Working from a strategic marketing
plan and campaign plans
VP, Director of Marketing,
Program Managers
Job descriptions & performance
reviews done regularly
A budget exists and business
cases are created to justify
spend
WORLD CLASS
Maturity Model

Want to rate your organization’s World Class Marketing maturity with an
interactive tool? Download our World Class Marketing Assessment
and get started today!
LEVEL 1 - Cost Center LEVEL 2 - Revenue Neutral LEVEL 3 - Revenue Contributor LEVEL 4 - Profit Center
Processes
Systems
Metrics
Executive
Perspective
of Marketing
All processes are defined,
measured, managed, and
optimized
All systems fully integrated,
analytics & business intelligence
Customer lifetime value (CLV),
brand equity, cost to acquire, ROI
Source of revenue, strategic
function
No processes, activities done
ad hoc, reactive in nature
Minimal marketing technology
in place
No metrics or a focus on adver-
tising: #impressions, #ads
Cost-center, not a strategic
function
Activities are repeatable and
some processes are defined
Legacy customer database or
CRM system, email marketing
Perational metrics such as open
rates, click-thrus, registrations
Cost-center, sales support
function
All processes are defined and
some measurement in place
CRM, marketing automation, with
some integration.
Cost per lead (CPL), renewal rate
%, #sales qualified leads created
Cost-center, flashes of brilliance
WORLD CLASS
Maturity Model
World Class
Marketing
Organization

Digital Marketing Responsibilities
As noted earlier, responsibility for the various elements of Digital Marketing
spans the organization. Figure 3 (on the next page) shows an org chart for a
mid-level to enterprise size Modern Marketing Organization.
All roles are important here. If the company does not have headcount for
each role, the functions can still be handled through marketing activities.
Within this structure, digital marketing responsibilities are
shared by the CMO, VP of Demand Generation, Content
Marketing Manager, Event Marketing Manager, VP of Strategic
Communications, Community and Social Media Managers,
Public Relations Manager, Product Marketing and Customer
Experience Management Team.

CMO
Customer Advisory Council
Customer Experience (CX)
Management Team
VP Sales Enablement
Marketing
Operations
Manager
Lead Qualifica-
tion Specialist
CRM/Marketing
Automation
Systems
Administrator
VP Strategic
Communications
Community &
Social Media
Manager
Public/Analyst/
Investor Rela-
tions Manager
Creative
Director
Graphic
Designer
Agency Project
Manager(s)
VP Product Development
Market
Analyst(s)
Product
Manager(s)
Product
Marketing
Manager(s)
Product
Development
Engineer(s)
VP Customer Success
Director,
Professional
Services
Professional
Services
Consultant(s)
Customer
Success
Manager(s)
Customer
Support
Technician(s)
Content
Marketing
Manager(s)
Event
Marketing
Manager(s)
Marketing
Program
Manager(s)
Inside Sales
Rep(s)
VP Demand Generation
FIGURE 3: MODERN MARKETING DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE

Digital Marketing Landscape
While electronic marketing has been around for decades in some form or
another, Digital Marketing as we know it today traces its roots to the birth of
the web. Digital Marketing has evolved in four stages, externally and inter-
nally. Externally we have seen the customer experience mature from mass
display and broadcast to personalized, real-time experiences, as follows:
Display – Web pages (Web 1.0)
Connection – Rich media content, social networks, blogs, Wikis (Web 2.0)
Engagement – Convergence of content, social, mobile, and video experi-
ences to create digital experiences
Personalization – Personalized and localized content, delivered to
personal devices in real-time through custom content and marketing apps
History
DIGITAL MARKETING LANDSCAPE
Internally, we have seen tools and technologies mature from ad hoc point
solutions to fully integrated, end-to-end systems connected across the
Enterprise, as follows:
Ad hoc – Point tools used by teams and departments
Coordinated – Platforms that perform specific functions with coordi-
nated tools, applications, and workflows
Connected – Platforms connected to each other i.e. Web Content
Management to Content Marketing to Social Listening API integration
to enterprise CRM and MA systems
Integrated – Comprehensive, end-to-end system integration of all
Digital Marketing related platforms with tight integration to enterprise
CRM, MA, and other legacy ERP systems.

1993
1994
1998
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2010
2011-2014
Stanford graduates
create “Jerry and
David’s Guide to the
World Wide Web.”
Amazon is launched in
Seattle.
The web is born and
the first web page
released by CERN
April 30, 1993.
Google launches
& Aprimo (MA
system) appears
Digital Marketing
Convergence
iPhone introduced.
Facebook
launches.
LinkedIn
launches.
YouTube
launches.
Twitter launches & first
Video Marketing plat-
forms become available.
iPad introduced
FIGURE 4: DIGITAL MARKETING TIMELINE
Figure 4 shows the timeline of some of the major milestones, vendors, and trends that have brought us the Digital Marketing environment we know today.

The World Wide Web
1993: The web is born and the first web page released by
CERN April 30, 1993.
1994: So many web pages are launched in one year that
two Stanford graduates create “Jerry and David’s Guide to
the World Wide Web.” In April, the Guide is renamed and
re-launched as Yahoo. Also in this year, Amazon, one of
the first large ecommerce sites, is launched in Seattle.
1995: The first Web Content Management Systems appear
as extended document management systems.
1997: The first blog sites are launched.
1998: Google is launched.
1999 – 2004: Web 2.0 appears with rich media content
(video, infographics, HTML5) combined with social
networks and wikis. This becomes the standard platform
for Digital Marketing.
2001 – 2003: Drupal & Wordpress are launched.
2008: Brightkit (now Hootsuite) is launched.
Marketing Automation
Social Media, Social Sharing, Mobile, Video
1998: Aprimo, first Enterprise Marketing Automation,
appears.
1999: Silverpop, MindMatrix, Eloqua appear and extend
Marketing Automation space.
2006-2009: Marketo, Hubspot, Paradot, Act-On, and
second wave Marketing Automation vendors, appear.
2002: Friendster, social networking site, is launched.
2003: LinkedIn is launched.
2004: Facebook is launched. Social sharing begins with
AddThis (2004). Also, Microsoft releases Single Sign-On
Enterprise Security for Web Applications (Microsoft® ASP.
NET)
2005: YouTube is launched and the Video Marketing land
rush begins. Also, ShareThis is launched and advances
social sharing.
2006: Twitter launches and Video Marketing platforms
appear.
2007: The iPhone is introduced and mobile apps begin.
2010: The iPad is introduced.

Digital Marketing Convergence
2011 – 2014: Convergence of content marketing, social
channels, web, and mobile & video development plat-
forms enable truly personalized, localized digital expe-
riences for each consumer and customer in real time.
Playing Field
Content Marketing Landscape
As noted above, our analysis of the Digital Marketing
landscape indicates that it is comprised of ten distinct
categories.
Of these, we have produced in-depth solution studies for
five – Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Mobile
Marketing, Video Marketing, and Public Relations.
Each study looks at the benefits, trends, vendor landscape,
and implementation strategies that impact that category.
Here we summarize each landscape.
All the of Digital Marketing Solution Studies include much
more detailed information on each landscape and can be
downloaded from the Demand Metric website.
We have divided the Content Marketing vendor landscape
into two primary categories. They are:
Web Content Management (WCM) – these platforms
provide the infrastructure and functionality for content
creation and delivery across digital channels (web,
blogs, search, social). They typically integrate with key
internal CRM and MA systems.
Content Marketing and Distribution (CMS/CDS)
– these platforms provide the creation, organiza-
tion, management, distribution, and measurement of
content across all device types and channels.

CUTTING-EDGE Platforms NICHE
Platforms
COMPREHENSIVE Platforms
STANDARD Platforms
BASIC Platforms
Figure 5 provides a combination of the vendor landscapes from WCM and CMS/CDS platforms.
FIGURE 5: CONTENT MARKETING VENDOR SOLUTION LANDSCAPE

Deeper insights and analytics to enable marketers to view and respond
to user engagement with relevant content.
Tighter integration between content marketing and enterprise
systems for a holistic customer view.
Richer content and media ads that increase user engagement.
More personalized experiences with rich media and relevant content
through the integration of user social profiles.
Increasing blend of owned, earned, and paid media to create higher
level of “trusted content.”
As the Content Marketing landscape evolves, Demand Metric expects to
see the following trends take shape within the Web Content Management
and Content Marketing and Distribution Platforms:
For our complete analysis on this segment, download our
Content Marketing Solution Study.
CONTENT
MARKETING
Solution Study

We have divided the Social Media Marketing vendor landscape into five categories. They are:
Overview
Social Listening Platforms
These are platforms and apps that focus on social moni-
toring/response. These platforms monitor conversations
across social networks for mentions of a company/brand
to collect opinions of and experiences with that company,
brand, or product.
Social Analytics Platforms
Social Networks
Social Engagement Platforms
Social Experience PlatformsThese are platforms that focus on the collection, measure-
ment, and benchmarking of social activity, behavior, opinion,
and emotion across social networks and media types
(owned, earned, and paid social media). Most analytics plat-
forms create detailed and individual customer profiles.
These are the social environments in which social interaction
and commerce take place. In this study, we look at the major
social networks for B2B and B2C business activity, such as
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube. Demand
Metric provides a full listing of Social Networks in our Top
SocialMediaSitesDatabaseandSocialMediaChannelMap.
These platforms focus on apps that deepen the engage-
ment between the company and the customer. While
most of these platforms offer a monitoring component,
they provide a deeper level of engagement via apps for
increasing ease and speed of social sharing, developing
online communities, content creation & publishing, and/or
gamification.
These platforms focus on changing the experience the
customer has with the company or brand. Social Experi-
ence platforms usually include components of both moni-
toring and engagement; however, they go a step further
with functionality that changes the way the customer inter-
acts with a company. These solutions serve to extend the
reach of a brand deeper into the customer’s environment.

CUTTING-EDGE Platforms
STANDARD Platforms
BASIC Platforms
Figure 6 provides a combination of the vendor landscapes for Social Listening, Social Engagement, Social Experience, and Social Analytics platforms.
FIGURE 6: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING VENDOR SOLUTION LANDSCAPE

The evolution of the Social Media Marketing landscape will continue on
the same trajectory that we see it occurring today with more engage-
ment, better experiences, and tighter integration across social networks.
That trend, plus better and deeper analytics and tracking systems, will
enable marketers to further refine the relationship between companies
and their customers in social media.
Digital campaigns will rely on social networks and channels to distrib-
uted higher quality, more immersive content, and digital experiences that
increase conversion rates and drive higher revenue.
The social connection will continue to move from a transactional rela-
tionship between marketer and customer to a “circle of peers” with the
buyer “owning” as much of the outcome as marketing.
Social Media Marketing Solution Study.
SOCIAL MEDIA
MARKETING
Solution Study

We have divided the Mobile Marketing vendor landscape into two primary
categories. They are:
Mobile Application Development (MADP) Mobile Content Development &
Management (MCDP)These are platforms and applications that focus on the
infrastructure and tools needed to design, build, test,
deploy, and manage mobile applications.
Platform functionality ranges from those that only support
native apps to those that provide native, Web/HTML5 and
hybrid apps, and APIs for enterprise integration.
We included platforms used to optimize existing Websites
in this category.
These platforms focus on the delivery of content across
mobile devices to provide an optimized experience.
Key functionality includes content publishing and presen-
tation; integration of data, services, and applications; as
well as engagement programs like payment and mobile
messaging campaigns.
Mobile Marketing Landscape
Mobile Marketing Solution Study.
MOBILE
MARKETING
Solution Study

STANDARD Platforms
BASIC Platforms
Figure 7 provides a combination of the vendor landscapes from MADPs and MCDPs.
FIGURE 7: MOBILE MARKETING VENDOR SOLUTION LANDSCAPE

Demand Metric expects the Mobile Marketing landscape to continue to
grow rapidly for the foreseeable future.
Demand Metric expects to see the following trends take shape for appli-
cation development and mobile content platforms:
Better management of applications and devices across the enterprise
and through all channels.
Deeper insights and analytics to enable marketers to view and respond
to mobile app engagement.
Tighter integration between mobile apps and enterprise systems for
a more holistic customer view.
Richer content and media ads that increase user engagement.
Mobile as the “spear point” – the first connection a prospect has with
the company, product, or service and, as such, defines their on-going
relationship with the company.

Video Marketing vendors fall into four main tiers, which can be seen in
Figure 8, based on their functionality in the following six categories:
Video Hosting & Streaming – the video hosting & streaming
component of these platforms centers around the capacity of solu-
tions to upload, download, view, and process video files.
Video Content Management – video content management involves
all of the activities that support the storage, organization, and modi-
fication of video content.
Video Distribution & Sharing – the manner in which videos are
distributed and shared can be critical to the success of a video’s
performance. This component of Video Marketing focuses heavily
on the delivery of video content.
Video Optimization – optimizing videos is a critical function of
Video Marketing that is often overlooked by many organizations.
Video optimization ensures that your video content is getting ample
traffic from the proper audience.
Video Marketing Landscape
1
2
3
4
5
6
Demand Metric expects that the need and desire for video content will
continue to grow radically among Enterprises and SMBs. CRM video
sharing, social sentiment and sharing analytics, video asset to ROI metrics,
and video mapping to the sales cycle are several features that will notably
change the Video Marketing spectrum in the near future.
As the market begins to saturate with category-specific vendors, Demand
Metric believes consumers will continue to gravitate toward vendors that
offer more comprehensive, end–to-end solutions rather than niche solutions.
For our complete analysis on this segment, download our Video
Marketing Solution Study.
VIDEO
MARKETING
Solution Study
Video Monetization – videos provide an array of benefits, as
mentioned previously, that will, ultimately, increase an organization’s
bottom line. However, generating revenue directly from videos has
become central to Video Marketing.
Video Analytics – metrics are an integral part of implementing any
technology in order to identify and prove ROI.

CUTTING-EDGE Platforms NICHE
Platforms
STANDARD Platforms
BASIC Platforms
FIGURE 8: VIDEO MARKETING VENDOR SOLUTION LANDSCAPE

Vendors across the PR Solutions Landscape fall into four tiers based on the features and functionality of their offerings:
Basic
At the basic level, point solutions provide targeted func-
tionality, commonly a media/influencer contact solution
like Crowdbuilder, or news distribution such as PR.com.
There is rarely integration with complementary PR solu-
tions or functions.
Standard
Second tier vendors like Bulldog Media’s Media Pro or
Business Wire bundle multiple PR functions, such as a
media contact database with a news distribution func-
tion. Some standard offerings are optimized for a specific
vertical.
Comprehensive
The largest group of vendors fall into this tier, which
includes solutions that provide the primary features of a
PR solution, including media contact database & manage-
ment, monitoring, distribution, and measurements &
analytics. These areas of functionality are not integrated,
or have just basic integration with each other. In other
cases, functionality is provided through partnerships with
other solution providers.
Cutting Edge
The most advanced tier is occupied by vendors like
MarketWired, PR Newswire, and Vocus that provide a
full suite of PR functionality, including a media contact
database & contact management, online and traditional
media monitoring, news distribution, and measurements
& analytics with reporting. These functions are not only
present in the solution suite, but are integrated to a
moderate or high degree.
Public Relations Landscape

STANDARD Platforms
BASIC Platforms
Figure 9 illustrates the Public Relations Vendor Landscape.
FIGURE 9: PUBLIC RELATIONS VENDOR SOLUTION LANDSCAPE

The media and PR industry both continue to grapple with the new reality
that everyone is becoming a publisher.
The current crop of PR tools has always been helpful at securing earned
media placements, and it is still important to do so.
Where the tools are less effective is in identifying and reaching the broader
spectrum of influencers whose names may not appear on a masthead, but
have built an impressive following through social media or by blogging.
PR solution providers must continue to develop ways for their users to
identify and monitor the influencers that matter to them.
Public Relations Solution Study.
PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Solution Study

Our Digital Marketing Roles Matrix (next page) provides an at-a-glance view
of the key components of Digital Marketing: roles, responsibilities, processes,
technology, content, and metrics. Each of our six technology/vendor catego-
ries is represented in the Digital Marketing Roles Matrix, as follows:
The Organizational Big Picture
Social Media
Content Marketing
Driven by the Community and Social Media Manager,
Social Media processes, technologies, and platforms are
used by Strategic Communications, Content Marketing,
Community and Social Media, and Customer Experi-
ence. The common metrics for Social Media include User
Engagement, Sentiment Analysis, and Campaign ROI.
Driven by the Content Marketing Manager, Content
Marketing processes, technologies, and WCM platforms
are used by Senior Management, Strategic Communi-
cations, Community and Social Media Managers, Public
Relations, and Product Marketing. The common metrics for
Content Marketing include Content Views, Links Earned,
Content Conversion, and Content Published.
Mobile Marketing
Mobile Marketing processes, technologies, and platforms
are used primarily by Product Marketing, which is respon-
sible for the development and deployment of mobile
apps. That said, several other roles contribute to content
development for these apps, including Strategic Commu-
nications, Demand Generation, Content Marketing,
Community and Social Media, and Customer Experience.
Video Marketing
Public Relations
Video Marketing processes and technologies are used
primarily by Content Marketing. However, several other
roles contribute to video content, including Strategic
Communications, Demand Generation, Community, Social
Media, and Customer Experience.
Driven by the Public Relations Manager, Public Relations
processes, technologies, and platforms are used primarily
by Public Relations and Strategic Communications to create
relationships with external media, bloggers, and influencers
for news stories and other earned media opportunities.
DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES
Digital Marketing Roles Matrix

ROLES RESPONSIBILITIES PROCESSES TECHNOLOGY CONTENT METRICS
Senior
Management
Revenue Accountability
Staffing & Channel Management
Reporting to CEO/Board
Budgeting & Planning
Reviews & Coaching
Recruitment & Retention
WCM
Marketing Automation
CRM
Thought Leadership Blog
Webinar Presentations
Conference Keynotes
Revenue by Channel
Customer Lifetime Value, NPS
Return on Customer (ROC)
Strategic
Communications
Brand Strategy Digital
Marketing Strategy Social
Mobile Marketing Strategy
Marketing Budget
Agency Management
Communications Management
WCM
Content Marketing Platforms
Social Media Platforms
Data Sheets, Whitepapers
Case Studies/Testimonials
Competitive Analysis
Market Share, Profitability
Brand Equity
Content Usage
Demand
Generation
Lead Generation & Events
Inbound/Outbound Marketing
Sales Opportunity Management
Advertising/Sponsorship
Lead Generation
Tradeshows
Marketing Automation/Email
Digital Asset Management
Event/Survey Management
Advertising/SEO
Email Campaigns
Webinars
Campaign ROI, Email Metrics
Marketing Qualified Leads
Contribution to Pipeline
Content
Marketing
Web Content Management
Content Marketing
Content Distribution
Content Creation
Campaign Analysis
Content Scoring
WCM, Blogging Platforms, MA
Content Mktg & Distribution
Video Marketing Platforms
Website and Blogs
eBooks, Articles
Videos
Content Views, Links Earned
Content Conversion
Content Published
Community &
Social Media
Online Community Management
Social Listening
Social Engagement
Community Development
Social Channel Management
Social Reputation Management
WCM
Social Media Platforms
Social Channels & Networks
Posts, Tweets, Photos
Forums, Chats, Comments
Articles, Community News
User Engagement
Sentiment Analysis
Campaign ROI
Public Relations
External Communications
Media Relations
Analyst Relations
Influencer Identification
Relationship Cultivation
Content Creation/Distribution
Media Contact Database
News Distribution & Monitoring
Analytics & Reporting
News Content/Press Releases
Thought Leadership Content
Rich Social Media Content
Mentions/Impressions
Audience Growth & Engagement
Sentiment Analysis
Product
Marketing
New Product Development
Mobile App Development
Video Production/Development
Product Launch
Product Positioning
WCM
Mobile Development Platforms
Video Production Platforms
New Features/Ideas for R&D
Gamification
Avg. Revenue Per User
Avg. Order Value
Conversion Rate, Renewal Rate
Customer
Experience
Interactive Experience
Customer Satisfaction
Customer Advocacy
Customer Experience
Customer Journey Mapping
Customer Persona Creation
Customer Profile Management
Customer Support, Twitter
Survey & Social Channels
Buyer Personas
Customer Journey Map
Proposals, Presentations
Customer Satisfaction Index
Customer Lifetime Value
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
DIGITAL MARKETING ROLES MATRIX

37DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEDIGITAL MARKETING MATURITY MODEL
Digital Marketing Maturity Model
Level of Commitment
The strength of the commitment and the focus on excellence in Dig-
ital Marketing initiatives and campaigns drives other best practices.
Planning
World Class Digital Marketers create strategies, goals, and KPIs
for every point of their Digital Marketing effort.
Processes
World Class Digital Marketers develop measurable processes
for each phase to ensure progress and success.
Our Digital Marketing Maturity Model (page 37-38) illustrates seven key
components. These are:
Orientation – the posture the organization takes toward the discipline
of Digital Marketing and its importance to the organization for marketing,
sales, and revenue generation.
Leadership – the view of executive/senior management toward the
role Digital Marketing plays in driving sales, revenue, and profits, and its
inherent value to the company.
Tools and Platforms – used to create, deploy, manage, and measure
Digital Marketing initiatives and campaigns.
Demand Generation – how well the organization performs in this core
attribute of Digital Marketing.
Digital Experience – how well the organization performs in this fast
emerging area of Digital Marketing.
Budget/Staff – how well Digital Marketing is resourced with time, talent,
tools, money, and authority.
Metrics – how Digital Marketing initiatives and campaigns are tracked,
measured, managed, and reported.
The move from Stage 1 (Ad Hoc) to Stage 4 (World-Class) is characterized
by the following best practices:
Resources
World Class Organizations ensure that sufficient resources (time, talent,
tools, money) exist for each initiative, campaign, and phase of their plan.
Management
World Class companies effectively manage the change, progress,
and results of Digital Marketing efforts.

Orientation
STAGE 1 - Undefined
STAGE 2 - Progressive
STAGE 3 - Mature
STAGE 4 - World-Class
Tools &
Platforms
No defined strategy or process for
Digital Marketing or digital properties
Ad hoc development; Point tools for
Email, Content, and Social Media
Marketing; No mobile or video apps
Platforms that perform specific func-
tions with coordinated tools, applica-
tions, and workflows
Platforms connected to each other i.e.
Web Content Management to Content
Marketing to Social Listening API
integration to Enterprise CRM and MA
systems
Utilizes comprehensive, end-to-end
system integration of all Digital
Marketing related platforms with tight
integration to Enterprise CRM, MA, and
other legacy ERP systems
Defined strategy and processes exist
for Digital Marketing in pockets in the
organization
Defined, integrated strategy and
processes exist for Digital Marketing
across an Enterprise
Defined, integrated strategy for Digital
Marketing exists across an Enterprise;
Campaigns are tracked and measured
by effectiveness of engagement and
conversion
Leadership Does not see difference between
Digital and Traditional Marketing
Views digital as new marketing
channel; Allocates budget & staff
resources
Recognizes that Digital Marketing is omni-
channel and the key component in audi-
ence engagement to drive preference &
loyalty; Long term commitment; Willing
participant; Resources for growth
Views Digital Marketing as key
component in customer engage-
ment strategy and primary focus
for marketing team; Organization
aligned and measured around
Digital Marketing’s contribution to
revenue
Digital
Marketing
DIGITAL MARKETING
Maturity Model

Digital
Experience
Budget &
Staff
Metrics
No focus on creating digital
experience
Allocated budget for Digital Marketing
is less than 15%; Staff is contracted or
coordinator role
No formal measurements in place
Budget allocated; Defined roles and
responsibilities; Resources up to
45% of total marketing budget
Analytics to monitor and track app
performance like QR codes, SMS, web
traffic by device, and mobile ads
Budget with business case to justify
spend; Dedicated marketing roles for
Digital Marketing; Resources up to 60%
of marketing budget
Dashboard monitors app performance,
device usage & location, and user
engagement by content asset
Budget connected to marketing goals;
Organization aligned for maximum
impact of Digital Marketing; Resources
of 60 to 85% or more of marketing
budget
Enterprise-wide dashboard with visual
representation of user acquisition and
engagement by behavior, experience,
brand reach, etc.
Little awareness; Digital experi-
ence occurs as an afterthought, not
the driving force behind a Digital
Marketing initiative; Sophistication of
digital experience created is low with
minimal brand impact
Creation of digital experience is a priority
for marketing teams and based on
detailed journey mapping; Sophisticated
digital experience aligned to buyer
engagement experiences and measured
on revenue impact
Alignment and delivery of digital
experiences based on persona expec-
tations; Defined cross-functionally to
ensure touchpoint consistency; Sophis-
tication of digital experience created is
very advanced and drives behavior
STAGE 1 - Undefined STAGE 2 - Progressive STAGE 3 - Mature STAGE 4 - World-Class
Digital
Marketing
Demand
Generation
Personalized & localized content
delivered to personal devices in real-
time through custom content and apps;
Native mobile optimized; Proactive
social listening with reliable feedback;
Fully aligned with sales for enablement
Relies on website landing pages with
limited content targeting; Company
profile on Social Media networking
sites; Social posting is sporadic and
ad hoc; Lack of audience awareness;
One-way dialog
Offers rich media content, Social
Networks, blogs, Wikis (Web 2.0);
Growing subscriber lists for Email;
Social customer & audience aware-
ness; Mostly one-way dialog
Convergence of content, social, mobile,
and video experiences to create full digital
experiences for conversion and sales
opportunities; True social dialog; Recogni-
tion of preferred audience
DIGITAL MARKETING
Maturity Model
Want to begin increasing your organization’s Digital Marketing maturity?
Download our Digital Marketing Framework and get started today!

40DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEBOTTOM LINE
Bottom Line
Digital Marketing is changing the way companies do business.
While adoption rates among companies and industries varies,
most marketing departments have begun to devote a portion of
their budget to Digital Marketing.
Demand Metric’s analysis of Digital Marketing in this report and
companion solution studies offers the following key conclusions:
Content is King and Context is Critical. As content marketing
evolves, users and customers will become less tolerate of
content that is not directly relevant to their needs and the
stage of their buying journey. The right Content Marketing
strategy, combined with the right platform and tools, will
ensure that the Modern Marketing Organization uses its
content for optimum success.
For many customers, their mobile device will define the
way that they relate to your company, product, or service.
Creating a positive mobile experience is crucial in keeping
customers engaged.
Social Media Marketing will become the primary engage-
ment engine for customers evaluating or choosing products
and services.
Companies searching for new ways to deliver their
message and increase brand recognition, as well as orga-
nizations looking to improve the success of their current
video marketing program’s performance, should consider
researching and implementing a Video Marketing platform.
Many companies that have been digital marketers for years
still strain after incremental improvements in clicks and click-
thru rates by tweaking email copy here or HTML code there.
By creating rich digital experiences instead of chasing
clicks, marketers can break away from the pack.
Demand Metric’s key recommendation from this report
is that Digital Marketing can make a significant
and positive impact on the organizations that are
employing it when they do so by following best prac-
tices and processes that are holistically integrated.

D I G I T A L M A R K E T I N G
A C T I O N P L A N

DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDE 42
Define requirements for Marketing and Sales Alignment with
our Sales & Marketing Alignment Tool to ensure all activities
are viable across the organization.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Build
Organize
Set Objectives
Research
Identify
Plan
Train
Measure
1 Align
Discover How To Align Your Sales and
Marketing Efforts
ACTION PLAN

DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDE 43ACTION PLAN
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Build
Organize
Identify
Train
Measure
1 Align
Make The Case For Digital Marketing To Key
Stakeholders
Build a Business Case for your Digital Marketing initiatives with
our Business Case Template.
Set Objectives
Research
Plan

3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Organize
Identify
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
Organize how your company will structure the Digital Marketing
function.
Use our Digital Marketing Roles Matrix to standardize roles &
responsibilities for Digital Marketing.
Understand All Required Digital Marketing
Roles and Responsibilities
Set Objectives
Research
Plan

45DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEACTION PLAN
4
5
6
7
8
9
Set Objectives
Identify
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
Develop a solid 12-18 month plan for your Digital Marketing
programs with:
Content Marketing Strategy Scorecard
Social Media Strategy Scorecard
Mobile Marketing Strategy Scorecard
Video Marketing Strategy Scorecard
Public Relations Strategy Scorecard
Plan Your Digital Marketing Programs In
Advance
Research
Plan

5
6
7
8
9
Research
Identify
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
4
Review Potential Digital Marketing Vendors
Begin the process of selecting a vendor to assist you in your
Digital Marketing initiatives.
Review the RFP templates in each of the Digital Marketing Solu-
tion Studies as there are many solutions to choose from during
this process.
Content Marketing Solution Study
Social Media Marketing Solution Study
Video Marketing Solution Study
Mobile Marketing Solution Study
Public Relations Solution Study
Set Objectives
Plan

6
7
8
9
Identify
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
4
5
Discover Key Digital Marketing Vendors
Identify the key players in the market. We have already begun
this process for you by researching a multitude of quality vendors.
You can take a look at the vendors we have reviewed with
Content Marketing Vendors Matrix
Social Media Vendors Matrix
Mobile Marketing Vendors Matrix
Video Marketing Vendors Matrix
Public Relations Vendors Matrix
Set Objectives
Research
Plan

7
8
9
Plan
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
4
5
6 Identify
Ensure You Have a Strong Marketing
Communications Strategy
Develop an implementation strategy and communication plan
to roll-out the initiative across the organization and through your
channels.
Use our MarCom Playbook to create your plan.
Follow this simple step-by-step playbook to create a marketing communications
plan that supports its marketing strategy.
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS PLAN
Playbook & Toolkit
Set Objectives
Research

8
9
Train
Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
4
5
6 Identify
7
Train Your Team on Digital Marketing Best
Practices
Develop an education/training plan for all affected personnel:
marketing, product development, operations, and sales.
DIGITAL
MARKETING
Training Courses S TA R T L E A R N I N G
Set Objectives
Research
Plan

9 Measure
1 Align
2 Build
3 Organize
4
5
6 Identify
7
8 Train
Track and Measure Key Digital Marketing
Metrics
Measure the success of your Digital Marketing solutions imple-
mentation and function with
Content Marketing Metrics Dashboard
Social Media Metrics Dashboard
Mobile Marketing Metrics Dashboard
Video Marketing Metrics Dashboard
Public Relations Metrics Dashboard
Set Objectives
Research
Plan

51DIGITAL MARKETING BEST PRACTICES GUIDEABOUT DEMAND METRIC
Demand Metric provides Agile Marketing software powered
by 1,000+ practical tools and resources to help our members
complete their work faster and with more confidence.
Our community of 125,000+ global members is composed of
CEOs and business owners, marketing consultants and agen-
cies, marketing executives and managers, and professionals
who specialize in: product management, marketing operations,
sales enablement, customer engagement, demand genera-
tion, content marketing, project management, account-based
marketing, and other disciplines.
To learn more about Demand Metric, sign up for a free member-
ship at: www.demandmetric.com
V I E W W E B S I T E
About Demand Metric

Digital Marketing Best Practices Guide

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